Fixture hanger for outlet boxes



March 13, 1951 N. A. TORNBLOM 2,545,124

FIXTURE HANGER FOR OUTLET BOXES Filed March 17, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 13, 1951 A. TORNBLOM 2,545,124

FIXTURE HANGER FOR OUTLET BOXES Filed March 17, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 13, 1951 2,545,124 FIXTURE HANGER FOR OUTLET BQXES Nils A. Tornblom, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Appleton Electric Company, a corporation of Illinois Application March 17, 1945, Serial No. 583,333

8 Claims. (01. 248-343) When long lighting fixtures, particularly those of the fluorescent type, are to be suspended from a ceiling, it is necessary not only to make sure that they will be horizontal, but also that they will not turn or swing about a vertical axis. This can be accomplished by employing suspending chains or the like, spaced apart at their upper ends where they are attached to the ceiling and at their lower ends that are attached to the fixture. Since lighting fixtures are commonly hung from outlet boxes in the ceilings, various expedients have heretofore been used or proposed to permit this to be done with fixtures of the type to which I have just referred. None of these prior devices, for one reason or another, has been found to be entirely satisfactory, and the pres-' the chains for suspending the lighting fixture are attached. This necessitates the taking down of the lighting fixture when access to the interior of the box is desired. One of the objects of the present invention is to make it possible to provide an ordinary outlet box with suitable hangerlarms without requiring such arms to be disturbed in order that the box may be opened.

A further object of the present invention is so to mount in the outlet box the usual receptacle into which a cord leading to the lighting fixture may be plugged, as well as a controlling switch, in such manner that the initial wiring may be done with the hanger and even the fixture, if desired, in place.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a wide range of adjustment of the lighting fixture angularly of the vertical axis and, further, to permit substantial adjustments of that kind to be made at any time in a simple manner and without the use of any tool.

A further object of the present invention is to make it possible to operate the switch conveniently without creating any tendency to swinging movements in the fixture.

A further object is to make it possible to use receptacles of different sizes and permit either to extend through a central hole in the box cover without leaving any free space in the hole around the small receptacles.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of the invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a lighting fixture suspended from an outlet box in accordance with the present invention, a ceiling fragment being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an end viewof the assembly, with the ceiling again shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the outlet box with its attachments; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, but on a larger scale, just as Fig. 3v is on a. larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the assembly shown in Fig. 4, with the cover removed; Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 4, showing the switch operating lever" in two positions, in full and broken lines, respectively; and Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the use of a receptacle that is larger and'of different shape than tha appearing in Fig. 3. 1

Referring to the, drawings, I represents a long, narrow lighting fixture to the top of which are connected two chains 2 for suspending the same in a horizontal position; the fixture being also provided with a cord or cable 3 having on its free end a plug 4 adapted to be engagedwith a suitable receptacle to supply energizing current. This is old construction, the particular design illustrated being intended only to serve as an example of the kind of fixtures to be supported.

In the ceiling A below which the fixture is to be hung is an outlet box 5, open on the under side. Underlying the box is a hanger, preferably a sheet metal stamping, comprising a central section 6 in the form of an open frame substantially larger than the box end so as to give it strength and still leave the opening in the same large, together with two arms 1 extending therefrom in opposite directions. The whole is stifiened by the presence of a trough-shaped rib 8 almost surrounding the opening in the frame and having branches 9 radiating therefrom into the arms I.

The hanger is attached to the box by means of screws l0 passing through arc-shaped slots H in the hanger and into the usual ears l2 in' the box; these ears being the ones to which the ordinary cover is fastened. The free ends of the arms 1 are bent down and are provided at their tips with transverse fingers I4 each of which has a row of seats. conveniently in the form of notches l5 distributed along their upper edges. The ends of these fingers are preferably turned up, as indicated at [6, to transform them into wide, shallow hooks.

Some of the metal displaced to form the large central opening in the hanger is bent laterally at opposite sides of this opening to produce L- shaped brackets l1, the-horizontalarms of which.

are spaced a considerable distanceoutwardly from that face of the hanger which is on the bottom in the assembly at the ceiling. Screws I8 pass through the horizontal arms of the brackets into a receptacle l9 to"-which the plug 4- is complementary. The brackets:areltallenough to hold the receptacle almostclear oftm box.-

A piece is partially severed from the frame portion of the hanger at a point ninetydegrees from" each of the arms l' and is bent laterally: to project on the same side as the brackets to produce an car Edneartheedge of the frame. On the. innersideof'this ear is a suitable switchZl having a..nipple 22that passes thiough a holein'the ear.and.-has thereon, outside of the ear; a nut? 2K: between which and the switch proper, the. earis clamped. The switch is of the typetha't has a wobbling actuator 25 engaged with the? outer end. of the nipple.- To this actuator I.a;t"-' tacha longslender arm or lever'zfi which extends horizontally. when the switch is closed and tends constantly to remain in that position. A suitable pull cord is attached .to-the freeend'of the'actu' ating lever as indicatedfat'fl in Fig. 2.

, Cooperating with thehanger is acover2'8. in the form of a dish-or pan about as large as the central section of the hanger andld'ee p. enough to beset against the underside of the hanger andliorm therewith and'theb'ox" a housing for. the receptacle andth'e switch, aswell as" thewir ing in thebox. The cover i'ssecured by means of'screws 29; that extend through thesame and into: the brackets ITT- It" will beseen that'the receptacle l9 extends through aho'lein'the'center of the'cover andfits the hole soast'o be heldlfirrrrly against lateral displacement; This'particula'r receptacle is a small one adapted" to. connect two wires in the cord 3 to wires coming. into the boxto deliver current. When a three Wire'corfnection is: desired; asin' thelcaselofa cord contalning a grounding wire for example; the hole in the cover not" large enough. To remedy this; I placethe" hole aofonreceptacle I9 in a knockout 3! which, whenremovedi leaves alarger hole. I'n'F-ig'. 3 the knockout remains in the coverwhereas, in Fig. '7 the three-wire receptacle 32 occupies the hole left'upon" the removal of the knockout;

It'should' also be-noted that the cover contains in the 'annular"wall orjflange a wi de; deep notch 33 m registration with-'the nippleon switch 21, so that the nipple does not inte'rfere' with the application and removal of "the cover.

In making an installation,-the* outletbox having'been set 'inthe ceiling, the hanger, with'the receptacle and switch already attached, may be faster'i'e'd' to the box with its longitudinal axis arranged approximately parallel: to the corresponding axis- 0f" the fixturewhen the: fixture occupies itsi intended position; The freelendslof the chains arethen engaged with the hook fingers at the: ends of the hanger; the: bearing seats o'r 'notches in the fingers permitting the chains to be shift'edalong the fingers to effect the-final adjustment of" the fixture and then to be held against accidentaldis lacement;- It will be seen that th'ep'ull cord is suspended clear of the-fixture because the actuating lever 28, which extends crosswise of the fixture, is long enough to attain this result; and, consequently, the fixture is not disturbed but remains stationary when the cord is "pulled.

If the receptacle is of a size to fit into the hole in the cover knockout, then the cover need only be. placed. in position against thehanger and be fastened with thescrewss. In the-case of a large receptacle, such as shown in Fig. 7, the knockout must be removed from the cover before the same can be applied.

It'will-be' seemthat when the cover is removed from the fittings at the ceiling, the outlet box is for alLpracticallpurposes open, even though the vention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact details so illustrated anddescribed; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements coming within thedefinitions oi the invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The combination with a box open at one side, of a hanger spanning said side and projecting in both directions beyond 131183110X, means.on the han'gerto support areceptacle in an exposed position, and a box cover positioned outwardly from thehanger and having an opening in'position to register with the receptacle.

2. lhe combination with a box open on one side, of a-hanger spannin said side and project ing in opposite directions therefrom, means on the hanger to'support a receptacle, and acov'er for said. side arranged outwardly from the hanger and providedwith aknockout in position to register'with such receptacle, there being in the knockout a hole to receivethe end of a small receptacle, and the knockout itself being large enough to leave a hole, upon removal thereof, adapted to receive an end of a large receptacle.

3. The combination with a box open on the under side,zof a hanger spanning said side and projecting at both ends beyond the box, the central portion of the hanger being in the form of an open frame at least as large as the open side of the box to giv ready access through the same to the interior of the box, means on the hanger to support a receptacle, and a cover for the open- 111g in the frame and the receptacle, the cover containing an opening through which a part of the receptacle is exposed.

4. A- structure as set forth in claim 3, wherein the receptacle is supported mainly outside of the box and th cover is dishedto house the receptacle and its immediate supports.

5.- The combination with an outlet box open on the underside; of a long hanger having a maximum width only slightly greater than the corresponding dimension of the box extending across said side and projecting in opposite directions from the box, a switch mounted on the hanger adjacent to'one ofitslong edges, and a long, horizontal lever supported at one end on the switch for up and. down rocking movements to rock the switch, the length of the lever plus one half the Width of the hanger being greater than one half of the width of a" lighting fixture which the hanger is adapted to support, the parts being so arranged that the lever lies transversely of the long axis of the hanger.

6. A hanger attachment for an outlet box to support a lighting fixture, which attachment comprises a central section, adapted to be secured over the open under side of such a box, and a pair of arms projecting in opposite directions from the central section, each arm having at its free end a laterally-extending finger, and each finger having in its upper edge a plurality of seats distributed along the same for receiving an element of a fixture supporting member and thereby afford means for adjusting a fixture.

7. A hanger for attachment to th open under side of an outlet box, comprising a central section in the form of an open frame and sections in the form of arms projectin in opposite directions from the frame, and brackets protruding from one face of the frame to support a receptacle.

8. A hanger for attachment to the open under side of an outlet box, comprising a central section to span said side and end sections in the form of arms projecting in opposite directions from the central section, said central section having an open center of large area to afford access to the interior of the box through the same, and brackets protruding from one face of the central section for supporting a receptacle mainly outsid of the box when the hanger has its opposite face engaged with the box.

NILS A. TORNBLOM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 141,024 Meyer Apr. 24, 1945 1,309,052 Worrell July 8, 1919 20 1,568,279 Herskovitz Jan. 5, 1926 1,623,587 Frederickson Apr. 5, 1927 1,796,036 Mangin Mar. 10, 1931 1,901,234 Glowacki Mar. 14, 1933 

